Sects of the Southern Pantheon
There are multiple religions across Marin. In the Southern Pantheon, there is an order for each of the gods, and in those orders, there are many sects. Here is a listing of some interesting and strict ones. The Red Guard A.K.A. The Scar Guard -- A sect in the order of the Red Maiden, Mafalda: the Red Guard. They are a group that lives among the mountains and swears themselves to the families in the outermost regions of Ibethiel. They're half mercenary group, half religious organization. They're notable for being made up entirely of mercenaries or notable Ibethielian Knights; they retain their ranks as a status symbol in the hierarchy of the religion. Most are considered pretty crazy by the regular people of Ibethiel, but are still revered. It's the most intense thing an Ibethielian soldier, or any soldier, can do, and so some soldiers seek it out after retirement. You serve until you die. They practice asceticism, denying themselves even the most basic of comforts until pain becomes just another meaningless stimulus. Their most notable practice is ritual scarring, sometimes in patterns like the rest of the Southern Mountain religions, but other times just to disfigure and scare anyone that might come upon them. They are living, breathing killing machines. Most kill themselves before they grow old, rather than reach senility. The Sea Scribes -- The Order of the Moon Daughter (like the order of the Red Maiden) is another one of the archaic southern religions that was integrated into the Southern Pantheon over time. When a religion is integrated into the Pantheon, the more extreme practices are often phased out. This is not the case for the Sea Scribes, who mostly worship the Old Fey Gods, one of which is the Moon Daughter. They live on the Oysters, a group of mossy islands mostly made up of sand beds, stones, and moss. Little is known about the Sea Scribes, and what little is known is mixed in with old sailors' tales. Some say that they sacrifice children. Others say that they're half fish, with gaping mouths and dead eyes. What is known, however, is that the islands they live on come and go with the mist. Anyone trying to get into contact with them either goes missing, or never returns. The Circle of Xolile -- Better known than the Red Guard or the Sea Scribes is the Circle of Xolile, which is the largest religion in Araedia. While Xolile is mostly worshiped as a tertiary god of volcanoes, fire, and order (as an aspect of Saris, the Southern Pantheon's creator god) in the rest of southern Marin and in the shitbloods of Araedia, the gentry take it very seriously. Xolile is a phoenix, the last of its kind in the world, and whether or not it’s pleased supposedly controls the fate of the entirety of Araedia, if not the world. The Circle of Xolile is a specific order that tends to both the physical bird and the rules of Araedian customs. It is this power that allows them to assert their dominance over the usually stringent and all-powerful Araedian aristocracy. Every highborn Araedian girl has to go to the capital of Erillia to submit themselves to the Trials of Xolile. This includes many things: ritual scarring, hot coals, and even drug-induced hallucinations in order to inspire a connection to Xolile. Some girls die in the process, and the most “apt” (i.e. those that show the least pain, have the most vivid hallucinations, etc.) are taken to the northern mountain ranges of Araedia to spend the rest of their life with the Circle. All highborn Araedian women are covered in intricate white scarring, like lace. No one talks about any aspects of their training afterwards, and no one ever mentions the names of those taken; it is taboo to say them out loud. The De Lancrets were chosen to rule around 300 years ago by the Circle of Xolile for the supposed "purity" of their blood and have ruled ever since. 'The Church of White and Black '-- The northern reaches of Taemar, the Drygrass Steppes, are the most remote place the Southern Pantheon touches. Harsh winters, poor soil, and the constant threat of bandits make it hard to survive. The towns there are sparse, usually consisting of a single road with houses on either side and, at the end of the road, a steeple. People that roll through the Drygrass Steppes do so in summer, when the horses are around. They naturally thrive off of the drygrass that grows there, and over the course of the spring, summer and fall, they multiply, bringing a wealth of meat and mobility to the region. During this time, the Church of White and Black wears white robes with black collars, and preaches the newest order in the Southern Pantheon (and contemporary religion of Taemar), the Hog God. The town drapes its buildings in pristine white cloth. In the winter, however, snow covers the drygrass, the horses die and life comes to a halt. Sparse amounts of tubers, berries, and dried horse meat sometimes last through the winter, but due to food taxes given to the Starred Errants (the lone protectors of the towns) and bandit raids, the people in the Drygrass Steppes go hungry. This is when the preachers switch to black robes with white collars and preach the word of the Frozen Gods. When the preaches put on black robes, the town removes the white banners and replaces them with black ones. You’re never supposed to enter a town in the Drygrass Steppes when black banners fly. Come springtime, when food is restocked, life returns to normal. Category:Resources Category:Religions